Houston-raised filmmaker wins $1 million from AT&T

Angela Cheng and her co-director Sasie Sealy topped the film competition

Angela Cheng, a Houston native, earned $1 million from AT&T to produce her film "Lucky Grandma," which was co-created by Sasie Sealy.

Angela Cheng, a Houston native, earned $1 million from AT&T to produce her film "Lucky Grandma," which was co-created by Sasie Sealy.

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Angela Cheng, a Houston native, earned $1 million from AT&T to produce her film "Lucky Grandma," which was co-created by Sasie Sealy.

Angela Cheng, a Houston native, earned $1 million from AT&T to produce her film "Lucky Grandma," which was co-created by Sasie Sealy.

Houston-raised filmmaker wins $1 million from AT&T

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Houston-raised filmmaker Angela Cheng and her filmmaking partner Sasie Sealy have $1 million for their movie project, thanks to AT&T and the Tribeca Film Institute.

The two won the AT&T Presents: Untold Stories competition with their vision for the film "Lucky Grandma," the story of a Chinese grandmother with a gambling habit who ends up in the middle of a gang war.

Cheng and Sealy will now spend a year creating and finishing the film. Once it's complete, the film will premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and will be available across AT&T's video platform. AT&T and Tribeca will also assist with awards submissions and promotion for the movie.

Cheng began as a stand-up comedian and then began making films that dealt with what it means to be Asian-American. Her short films have been seen at such festivals as South by Southwest, Outfest and the Los Angeles International Film Festival.

Also, she is currently the creative director of format development at TED where she experiments with and launches new forms of storytelling. Through that, she and her team are responsible for the online shows "Small Thing Big Idea" and "DIY Neuroscience." She is also part of the editorial team behind "WorkLife with Adam Grant," a podcast about how to make work a more interesting place.

Cheng and Sealy, who's originally from North Carolina, live in New York City.